Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG) recently announced that the final barge in its 31,500-barrel class design for Harley Marine Services (HMS) has entered service. Four hulls were constructed to this design, with EBDG working with the shipyards to provide detail engineering.
The first barge constructed, the David Fanning, entered service in December of 2008, followed by the Bernie Briere in February 2009 and the Lily Blair in June of 2009. The Nathan Schmidt completed the design series and entered service in July of 2009.
Continuing a long tradition, all four barges were named after children struggling with Cystic Fibrosis. HMS has been a long-time supporter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and has helped raise millions of dollars for the cause.
In keeping with HMS's commitment to crew and environmental safety, a number of unique features have been incorporated into the design of these double-hulled vessels. The vessels have Tier 3 EPA-compliant pump engines. The large deckhouse structure located at the forward collision bulkhead incorporates the tankerman's office and spill response storage, while providing unobstructed vision of the entire cargo deck area. This arrangement provides substantial protection from the weather and enables rapid deployment of the spill containment boom. For added crew safety, piping is set as low to the deck as possible, while still permitting maintenance. This allows the crew to move easily and safely about the decks.
EBDG developed this series of designs for oil barges ranging in capacity from 20,000 to 83,000 barrels for Harley Marine Services (HMS).
(www.ebdg.com)